Executive Head: Group Data & ML Platform Tribe

Who are we?

Sanlam Group Technology is responsible for the provision of a digitally enabled technology service as a group COE, drive business and transformation and provide group-wide digital and data architecture. We operate the various technology platforms and shared services, ensure Cyber and Information Security resilience, and act as technology governance and risk orchestrator for technology across Sanlam.

What will you do?

We’re on a transformation journey to be an innovative company at forefront of the financial services industry's digital transformation. By harnessing advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), we aim to redefine the financial landscape with intelligent, advice-led solutions. To do this, we aim to be a net producer of technology, rather than a net consumer and Product Managers are a critical part of this mission.

Sitting on the Sanlam Group Technology executive committee, this is an internal product leadership role focusing on empowering and accelerating autonomous value creation through Insights and ML across Sanlam Group. With your mastery of Product Management, your expertise in Data & ML Platforms and your experience of building and leading high performing, autonomous technology teams, you’ll ensure business teams across the group make data a source of competitive for them in their markets.

What will make you successful in this role?

What success will look like for you 12 months into the role:

• Built a high performing platform organisation:
  • You've built a small group of lean, high-ownership, high-agency teams with clear missions and success metrics and ensured continuous performance improvement each month. Success was measured by the consistent delivery against your service level objectives (e.g. new data acquired from any source in 2 weeks or less) and the achievement of your yearly goals.

• Cultivated a growth-oriented environment for top talent:
  • You've made your organisation the best place for data product and engineering professionals to flow and grow. Success was measured by the high volume of world class talent you've incubated, attracted and retained, further evidenced through team engagement surveys.

• Achieved unmatched platform spend efficiency:
  • You've consolidated all data infrastructure spend towards in-house capabilities and teams, and as a result achieved the best cost efficiency in overall spend the group has ever seen. Success was measured by a significant reduction in total cost of data platform as a % of operating budget, with no spend on external agencies, despite an increase in platform capabilities and uptake.

• Built high trust and engagement with stakeholders across the company:
  • You've built trust through strong delivery and outstanding product management practices for engaging with internal stakeholders. Success was measured by the unanimous approval of the team by the group data operating board and overwhelming positive feedback through user surveys.

• Consolidated all Sanlam’s data onto one modern cloud-based platform:
  • You've brought all of Sanlam Group's data onto a single coherent cloud-based platform for analytical purposes, with a coherent set of visualization, insight and Prediction or ML tools as needed to create value from data across the group. You've ring fenced all operational (non-reporting) workloads on the current on-prem warehouse and found appropriate owners for their modernization on separate technologies. Success was measured by 100% adoption of the data platform by all data science, analytics and reporting teams across the group and successful maintenance of non-analytical tasks prior their migration.

• Enabled cost reduction and enhanced agility of operational reporting:
  • You've enabled accelerated delivery and agility of regulatory reporting, reducing the time and total cost to maintain reports and adapt to new regulatory changes. Success was measured by reduced timeframes and costs for regulatory reporting.

• Minimized time and cognitive load on compliance:
  • You made it easy to comply with data privacy and governance policies, and effortless to comply with security policies. Success was measured by negligible time and cognitive load spent adhering to these policies across the group.

• Became a valued member of the Sanlam Group Technology Leadership Team:
  • Through your initiatives, your influence and sincere interest in bringing others along with you, you made a material contribution to the overall goals and strategy of the Group Technology leadership team.

Qualification

Grade 12
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science or Information Technology recommendable
Management qualification and Data Certifications will be advantageous

Experience

10+ years' experience in leading data platform teams with at least 5 in a modern context with cloud technologies and autonomous high performing team organisational patterns
A track record of high impact and investing in your own development
Experience as a delivery lead requiring executive level influence and personally operating at a senior management level in engineering or Data engineering teams would be advantageous

Good knowledge and understanding of interaction between data, technology and business applications for insights and improving decision-making:

• You'll look for ways to do, instead of reasons not to.
  • You are high agency, high ownership in everything you do. You know we own our future, only we can make it happen. If you find something that keeps us from our mission, you own it or work collaboratively with others until you find the right owner of it.
    
• Where some see impossible, you see a way.
  • You have the strong conviction in our ability to innovate and bring financial services, and financial confidence to everyone across continent. You turn obstacles into opportunity, chance into change.
    
• You move fast and fix things.
  • You publish early and often, when you fail you learn and go again. You know that speed gives you the licence to fail, because you’re moving fast enough to correct course.
    
• You love creating more with less.
  • Knowing that the biggest impact is born of the smallest acts, scale is built into your thinking from day 1. This is not about meeting the needs of thousands; it’s about exceeding the needs of millions. And working through small and mighty teams is way we’ll do it.
    
• You seek out and value different perspectives.
  • ​​​​​​​Believing that when we change how we look at things, how things look for us also changes. Making tomorrow not just different, but better.

Personal Attributes

Tech savvy - Contributing strategicallyBusiness insight - Contributing strategicallyBalances stakeholders - Contributing strategicallyManages complexity - Contributing strategicallyAction orientated - Contributing strategicallyBuilds effective teams - Contributing strategically

Build a successful career with us

We’re all about building strong, lasting relationships with our employees. We know that you have hopes for your future – your career, your personal development and of achieving great things. We pride ourselves in helping our employees to realise their worth. Through its five business clusters – Sanlam Fintech, Sanlam Life and Savings, Sanlam Investment Group, Sanlam Allianz, Santam, as well as MiWay and the Group Office – the group provides many opportunities for growth and development

Core Competencies

Being resilient - Contributing strategicallyCollaborates - Contributing strategicallyCultivates innovation - Contributing strategicallyCustomer focus - Contributing strategicallyDrives results - Contributing strategically

Turnaround time

The shortlisting process will only start once the application due date has been reached. The time taken to complete this process will depend on how far you progress and the availability of managers.

Our commitment to transformation

The Sanlam Group is committed to achieving transformation and embraces diversity. This commitment is what drives us to achieve a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace as we believe that these are key components to ensuring a thriving and sustainable business in South Africa. The Group's Employment Equity plan and targets will be considered as part of the selection process.